Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch

The Bacterial Special Pathogens Branch is responsible for the prevention and control of illnesses due to a varied group of zoonotic and environmental bacterial pathogens, and assisting in the investigation of unexplained critical illness and deaths.

The mission of BSPB is to prevent illness, disability, or death caused by bacterial zoonotic diseases or unusual bacterial pathogens in the United States and around the world. They accomplish this mission by conducting surveillance, epidemic investigations, epidemiologic and laboratory research, training, and public education to develop, evaluate, and promote prevention and control strategies for diseases due to bacterial zoonotic or unusual pathogens. Branch staff works in partnership with local, state, private, and governmental human and animal health protection organizations.

BSPB Diseases include:

• Actinomycoses and nocardiosis
• Anthrax
• Brucellosis
• Buruli ulcer
• Capnocytophaga
• Elizabethkingia
• Glanders (Burkholderia mallei)
• Hansen’s disease (Leprosy)
• Leptospirosis
• Melioidosis (Burkholderia pseudomallei)
• Pasteurella sp. infections
• Rat-Bite fever

Activities include:

• Identification of aerobic organisms
• Control of epidemics
• Development of control and prevention methods against bacterial zoonotic and emerging diseases
• Reference and diagnostic testing for agents causing these diseases and for the identification of unknown bacterial isolates associated with human and animal disease
• Development, implementation and evaluation of prevention strategies for these diseases in collaboration with other domestic and international public health partners and collaborators

BSPB also operates a web-based tool for identification of rare and emerging pathogens called MicrobeNet. Find out more about MicrobeNet or request access to MicrobeNet database.